Numbers To Know: Can Eli Raridon Buck Patriots' Troubling Te Trend?

Numbers to Know: Can Eli Raridon buck Patriots' troubling TE trend? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Editor’s note: Patriots insider Phil Perry is sharing 26 numbers to know for 26 days leading up to Day 1 of training camp on July 25. Last week, we covered numbers 1 through 9.Next up, 10 through 18:

Number 10

The Patriots in 2025 became just the third team in NFL history to win 10 more games than they had the previous season.

The 2009 Dolphins fell back to 7-9. The 2000 Colts fell back to 10-6 and lost in the Wild Card Round. The Patriots, of course, will be looking to buck that trend and make another Super Bowl.

Number 11

Patriots second-round pick Gabe Jacas had 11 sacks last season at Illinois.

The Patriots drafted him to help bolster their pass rush, but without a contract in the spring, he missed OTAs and mandatory minicamp. That left Harold Landry, Dre’Mont Jones and Elijah Ponder as the top edge defenders in attendance.

The question is: how much of an impact can Jacas have in his rookie season, having missed as much time as he has?

Number 12

The Patriots watched 12 sacks walk out the door this offseason: K’Lavon Chaisson, Anfernee Jennings, Jaylinn Hawkins, and Jack Gibbens all parted for other teams a few months ago. Chaisson alone accounted for 7.5 of those sacks.

The Patriots added Dre’Mont Jones in the offseason and drafted Gabe Jacas. But will they be able to eclipse their sack total from last season? There are only six in the NFL in 2025 with fewer sacks than New England.

Number 13

Pro Football Focus graded A.J. Brown as the No. 13 receiver in the NFL last season, tying his rookie season as his lowest grade.

The Patriots traded a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth for Brown. They’re banking on a connection between Drake Maye and Brown providing the receiver a career resurgence. And given that Maye’s deep-ball accuracy and Brown’s explosive playmaking skill set seem to mesh, there’s a good chance New England’s big bet will pay off. But if Brown’s numbers continue to dip, parting with that 2028 first-rounder that now resides in Philly will feel like a painful misstep.

Number 14

The Patriots won an NFL-high 14 games last season. As we know, though, they eventually lost the Super Bowl.

Of the previous 32 Super Bowl losers, 14 failed to make the playoffs the following year. Only one has returned to the Super Bowl: the 2018 Patriots, who beat the Rams a year after losing to the Eagles while Malcolm Butler watched from the sideline. That Patriots group had an aging core and won one final Lombardi Trophy.

These 2026 Patriots have a young QB on the rise. We’ll see if they can do what the Tom Brady-led Patriots were able to do.

Number 15

This will be Josh McDaniels’ 15th season – non-consecutive! – as Patriots offensive coordinator. In 2025, his offense ranked second in points, third in yards, and scored at least 23 points in 15 regular-season games. That was the most in the NFL.

McDaniels now has some new tools at his disposal this season, led by A.J. Brown. Oh, the possibilities…

Number 16

It’s been 16 years since the Patriots drafted Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, which is the last time they drafted a tight end who made meaningful NFL contributions. Just look at this list: Jaheim Bell, Devin Asiasi, Dalton Keene, Ryan Izzo, AJ Derby, and Lee Smith.

But now the Patriots have rookie tight end Eli Raridon out of Notre Dame. What are the odds they’ve struck gold with their Golden Domer, and have a homegrown tight end to complement Hunter Henry?

Number 17

After appearing in all 17 regular-season games in 2025, Hunter Henry ranked 17th in the NFL in receiving EPA.
It’s a new stat which calculates how much value a receiver adds to his team’s chances of scoring on plays they’re targeted.

Henry’s coming off his best season in terms of receiving yards and yards per reception. The question is, can Henry actually have a better 2026 as he continues to develop his connection with Drake Maye, and as he plays alongside A.J. Brown, who should be attracting all kinds of attention?

Number 18

For 18 straight seasons, the Patriots leading receiver has played primarily out of the slot or at tight end.
Ending the streak? Possibly A.J. Brown, who played 88 percent of his snaps as the X last season.

That’s right, Randy Moss in 2007 was the last X receiver to rack up the most receiving yards for the Patriots. If Brown has the type of impact Moss made in his first season in New England, watch out.